The Impact Of Change In Land Use On Food Security In Tanzania: A Case Study Of Ng’hong’hona And Iyumbu Wards In Dodoma Municipality

ABSTRACT

This study is aimed at assessing the impacts of land use change i.e. changing the use of village land from agricultural based activities to other uses like construction, mining industries etc in cities and municipal villages’ i.e., villages in town vicinity and to what extent has these changes have affected people’s livelihood in these villages and especially their food security.

Applied were qualitative and quantitative methods of which cross-sectional survey method based on case study on the selected area of research were included. A sample of 100 respondents, obtained randomly, was involved in the collection of data for the study. Tools for data collection were; observation face-to-face interviews, questionnaires as well as focus group discussions, using purposefully selected members of the community key informants and officials in order to understand in depth reflection by the people on the topic was also employed. The statistical package for social science (SPSS) was used for analysis data and management.

The study discovers that peasants are poorly given time to analyze the negative outcome of the Land-use Change to their social and economic life after the exercise. The researcher find out that the government inadequately give them time, pitiable education and provides wretched information to villagers/peasants on outcome of the exercise which means the negative impacts of Land-use Change including loss of fertile land, water resources, grazing land. Eventually, the study reveals that due to the corruption, the government defrauds and cheats by giving attractive languages and nonfigurative money compensation, employment opportunities and so on.

The study recommends that for the purpose of sustainable agriculture, secure land and food availability, Local communities should be considered as partners in both the planning and use of available land in benefiting of this important resource. In addition, the Governments ought to respect and safeguard local livelihoods; therefore ensuring secured land is government responsibility this should be done through surveying all village land issuing land title did to villagers/farmers in order to safeguard their land.